From a consideration of the cross referenced application Ser. No. 10/084,210, it will be apparent that it primarily pertains to devices that protect wires or pipes from being punctured, ruptured, or otherwise compromised, by nails, screws, or other fasteners, that would be driven into the walls, ceilings, or floors of buildings and other structures constructed by means of wood studs and joists. For example, when a house is built with wood studs there must be holes drilled in those studs so that wires and pipes can reach their final destination. Once the drywall or paneling is attached to the studs one cannot see where the wires or pipes are and one runs the risk of compromising them when hanging or attaching things to the wall, at the point of the studs, with screws or nails that might need to be several inches long to support their load and serve their function.
application Ser. No. 10/084,210 presents, for the reasons disclosed therein, an improvement over the prior state of the art “protector plate” and this application discloses variations and improvements over that one in several ways. First, this new Protector Sleeve does not fit snugly against the walls of the hole drilled in the stud. Rather it hangs, or rests, loosely in that area. It is kept in place, or suspended, by the anchors on either side of the body. This allows for an easier installation. With this new Protector Sleeve it is not necessary that there be a precise fit between the hole and the body. As the new Protector Sleeve hangs or rests in the hole drilled through the stud it is able to prevent puncture or rupture of a wire or pipe not only by providing an impenetrable barrier but also by means of deflecting a nail or screw that would come its way. In this regard the Protector Sleeve does not even need to be round and instead could be a piece of square tubing orientated so as to present one of its four corners (thus appearing diamond shaped) to the nail or screw being driven horizontally. Furthermore, this new design allows for an easier and more economical production process. This modified design more readily lends itself to being produced by taking the shape from a sheet of steel and rolling it into its final shape. The edges need only roughly match up, and may even substantially overlap, as long as they meet at the top or bottom of the Protector Sleeve. Since a nail or screw will come through a stud substantially horizontally, the Protector Sleeve's seam or connection will be safe from compromise if located at the top or bottom and not at a point where a nail or screw would enter.
Finally, since this modified Protector Sleeve is smaller than that previously disclosed there will be a materials savings that becomes substantial when thousands of units are produced.